No matter what your profession, it’s unlikely that you are the only one who does it. A quick online search reveals there are about 10,000 brand managers in the United States, more than 1 million account executives and more than 2 million sales professionals.
Even if you narrow the search to your own community, there are likely at least a few people who do what you do. In one of the communities we serve, there’s even an operations manager named Emily! While our titles are slightly different and we work in different industries, our roles are similar. To confuse matters further we are friends and work closely on several projects together — both at work and through volunteering. The number of calls, texts and emails we receive meant for the “other” Emily has become a running joke between us as we re-direct communications to “that” Emily.
This idea that we’re just one of many can be hard to process. Is it encouraging or discouraging? Our team at View Newspaper Group sees it as a motivating factor. In fact, it was the topic of our most recent sales team meeting.
There are two millions sales professionals in our country and dozens in each of the communities we serve across the state. Some of those sales professionals are even our competition. So, how do we stand apart? Here are the ways our team rises to the top:
Our response time: Our team members pride themselves in a quick response time to voicemails, text messages and emails. Years ago, 24 hours was considered a good response time to an email, but as our world and technology changes, so do our expectations. An inc.com article on the topic shared survey results that showed 60% of respondents felt an email should be answered in one business day or less; 20% said four hours or less.
Even if a client, potential client or reader reaches out to us with a question that we don’t know the answer to, we’re sure to respond, acknowledging that we’ve received the initial message, and we’ll work on an answer or solution.
We build trust: Our team members invest time with each of our clients getting to know them and their business, ultimately building mutual trust. We ask questions, we follow up and we look out for their best interest because we’re invested in each client’s long-term success. When a client places an ad in our newspapers, that’s not the end of the deal. We ensure the ad delivered the desired results. We’re not just in sales for a quick buck. We’re honest, and we act with integrity.
We’re full service: While this discussion was held at a sales meeting, it goes beyond just that team. When it comes to a client’s needs, we have the knowledge, expertise and connections to act as a client’s agency. From full rebrands, to logo design, to event planning, to branded swag, to brochures, to direct mail, to public relations and, of course, ad design, if a client has a marketing need, we can fulfill it or connect them to a trusted partner. “No” isn’t in our vocabulary. If a client has an idea or a request, we do everything possible to make it happen.
Professionalism: Thanks to the decades most of our team members have been in sales, their professionalism is hard to beat. As our Advertising Director Pete Clinton likes to say, we are “drama-free.” We show up on time, we look the part, we do what we say we’re going to do. On a higher level, the software, processes and people in place at View Newspaper Group ensure very few mistakes are made across the entire business from sales to accounting to design to editorial. If a mistake is made, we take responsibly and fix it as soon as possible. Bottom line, we’re easy to do business with.
We outwork the competition: Even if something in our day goes haywire, our team puts in the work we intended to each and every day. Sometimes that makes for long nights hunched over a computer, sometimes that means attending three networking events in a day, sometimes that means working on a weekend. We do what it takes to succeed, because in the end we know that what we do as a community newspaper group makes a difference. We help small businesses succeed, we keep our communities informed and safe. We create meaningful connections.
Our hard work also helps our company give back to the communities we serve in a big way through cash donations, sponsorships, free or reduced-cost advertising, editorial coverage, through our signature events and volunteering. Last year alone our cash donations reached more than $130,000 with thousands more in-kind sponsorships and publicity for our nonprofit partners.
How do you stand apart from the competition? Email me at ecaswell@mihomepaper.com.
Emily Caswell is the Brand Manager for VIEW Group, the branding division of View Newspaper Group.